What follows is a newswriting exercise. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

It's the day after police arrested Frederick Johnson in connection with the shooting death of Peter Wickham. You call Lt. Jane Ortlieb of the Centerville police department and she tells you that cops are having a perp walk today to take Johnson to the Centerville District Courthouse for his arraignment.

She says to be outside the courthouse at 10 a.m. sharp.

You get there and see that dozens of reporters, photographers and camera people are already there. The squad car arrives and Johnson is escorted out. He's dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit and appears gaunt and unshaven. As he'd led into the courthouse reporters shout questions at him. "Do you do it, Fred? Did you kill Peter Wickham?" At first Johnson is silent but as he's about to reach the courthouse door he shots, "I didn't do nothing. Cops forced me to confess."

You head inside to see the arraignment. Judge Tracy Fordham is presiding. Johnson is there with his court-appointed attorney, Sandra Clemenson. She enters a not guilty plea on Johnson's behalf, and Judge Fordham sets bail at $1 million. Johnson is led away.

Outside Judge Fordham's chambers reporters surround Clemenson. "We're going to be maintaining that the police forced an illegal confession from Mr. Johnson," she says. "We maintain he is innocent." Reporters shout more questions but she hurries away.

Back at the Centerville Gazette newsrooms you phone Lt. Ortlieb to see if she has any response to Clemenson's claim that Johnson's confession was illegally obtained. She says Police Chief Albert Ryan will be issuing a statement about that and she'll e-mail it to you when he does.

The city editor says he needs a story in 90 minutes for the paper's website. You start to write, and after about 20 minutes you check your e-mail and see Ortlieb has sent Chief Ryan's statement. It reads:

"It had come to my attention that Frederick Johnson, a suspect in the shooting death of Peter Wickham, has claimed his confession was obtained illegally. This is false. Johnson's confession was obtained legally using standard interrogation techniques. Any further question about this matter should be directed to the Centerville District Attorney's Office. Albert Ryan, Centerville Chief of Police."

You put in a call to the DA's office for comment. Kelly Armstrong, the office's spokeswomen, promises to get back to you with a response. But after 15 or 20 minutes she still hasn't called back so you have to do the story without her comment.

Combine these latest developments with the information from your previous shooting stories. Write this follow-up piece in 90 minutes or less.

Read the first shooting story here.

Read the second shooting story here.

Read about writing follow-up stories here.

Find more great newswriting exercises here.

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